The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-23
ghe Sunday Sehoo1
LESSON FOR JULY 81, 1887.
BY REV. ROBERT T. POLK.
THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS.
Matthew iv. I'LL
Matthew iv. I'LL
The TEMpTER.

When the holy spirit had come upon JESUS
to abide with him, and he had been made
conscious of his Divine relation and mission
at his baptism, he was impelled or prompted
by this indwelling spirit of GoD to retire to
the solitary wilderness, and by meditation,
fasting and prayer, prepare, prove and test
try or discipline-himself for his public min
istry as the Divinely anointed Son of COP
and Saviour of the world. The words trans
lated "tempt," "tempted," "tempter" in the
Lesson imply trial, proof, test. Fasting and
prayer are means employed for testing the
power and proving the authority of the con-
science and will over the appetites, desires
and inclinations, and for disciplinine the
devout soul in the exercise and proper use
and regulation of all the faculties. By vol
untary abstinence and self-denial the power
of the higher faculties of the spirit to control
the action of the lower propensities of the
flesh is proved or tested. The process of trial
in the New Testament sense is called temp
tation. JESUS subjected himself to this GUS
tomary trial or preparation for his ministry.
Moses and Elijah, the great prophets of the
Law, are reported to have "fasted forty days
and forty nights" Exodus xxxiv %; Kings
xix. 81. He who came ito fill the law and
the prophets" by introducing the kingdom of
GoD, would have, at least, an equal prepara-
ton and qualification for his mission.
The record says that JESUS went into the
wilderness to be proved by tempted of the
"devil." Devil is the anglicized form of a
Greek word which means "false accuser," or
enemy, and is the equivalent of the Hebrew
''Satan" - adversary. These words in the
New Testament are employed as the person
ification of whatever prompts or entices to
do evil. A person or a passion may tempt
one to do wrong; may be an adversary.
JESUS applied the term "Satan'' to Peter
xvi. 23), and devil" to Judas (John vi. 10Y.
Appetite and passion, desire and inclination
tempt men to do evil, and become enemies
of the soul. JESUS was tempted in all re-
spects as we are Hebrews iv. 15). And st.
James says, every man is tempted when he
is drawn away by his own lust (unrestrained
desire) and enticed" (James i. 14). Natural
desire tempts to wrong doing. and when un-
restrained and uncontrolled, leads to sin and
wretchedness, but when controlled and regu-
lated promotes virtue and we'll being. The
natural desires and suggestions of JESUS
mind were the "devil' that tempted him
tried or tested the righteousness of his soul.
The same adversary that assailed JESUS as
sails us. The same weapons by which he
triumphed over the enemy are available for
us; and we have his example who did no sin.
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"
DANES iv. y.
"Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is SIM"
The Greek word diabolos Borrowed in
Latin as diabolus, from which come Italian
diaroIo, French diobLe, English deUil, Ger
man teufel, etc. }, is the term regularly en-
ployed in the Septuagint to translate the
Hebrew name Satan. The latter signifies
strictly signifies "slanderer," "false ac-
cuser," but in the New Testament is used as
Broadhus, DID,, LID, Commentary on
Matthew"
The devil or Satan, diabolis, Satanus,
means "false accuser," and occurs thirty
three time three times plural, 2 Timothy
iii. Q; l Timothy iii. IL; Titus ii. 3,-and
stands for the Inducements that arise out of
mans animal nature, to draw the higher nat
ure down; animal appetite, ambition, service
of evil for the sake of worldly good. James
says, "Every man when he ID tempted is
drawn away Dy MS own luSlS anu eut1ceu.
James describes in plain terms what are per-
sonified and allegorized in dramatic form by
the Evangelists. Satan, the devil, the temp
ter, is the ''law of the members" the animal
nature, assailing the moral or spiritual being.
j. w. Hanson, DID,, "The New Covenant"
Satan or Devil, taken in the singular, is not
the name of any particular person, !.
but the name is a name that generalizes bad
persons, or spirits, with their bad thoughts
and characters, many in one. That there is
any single one of them who, by distinction
or pre- eminence is called Satan or devil, is
wholly improbable. The name is one taken
up by the imagination to designate or en-
body, in q conception the mind can most cas-
lily WELD the all or total of bad minds and
powers.-Reu. Horace Bushnell, DID,, "Nat-
ure and the Supernatural"
Under the terms Satan and the devil we
may understand, O., personitication of those
passions and propensities of humanity which,
unresisted, lead astray from rectitude; and
b, one who has been led astray by them.
Wherever there is a conscious human soul,
we suppose there is a Satan, enchanted or
rampant. There is not an innocent craving
or necessity of our lower nature but may be-
come our devil-our spiritual adversary, II
rising toward unlawful desire.-ReU. g. L.
Demarest, DID,, SIS. HELPER, June, 1856.
The TEMPTATION.
1. "After JESUS had tasted forty days and
forty nights, he was hungry" The language
employed does not necessarily imply the ex-
act period stated or total abstinence from
food. Like the number seven, forty was q
symbolic number among the Hebrews; and
John, whose food was locusts and wild
honey. is said by JESUS to have come "nei-
Their eating nor drinking wi. 49,. Like
John, JESUS might have subsisted upon the
scanty natural products of the desert, to
which he had retired for self. discipline. Be-
coming hungry the thought arose, that if he
were the Son of GoD he might by a word con-
vert the stones at his feet into loaves OF
bread to satisfy his hunger But his Divine
endowment was not conferred for such uses
He would not do what he had the power to
do when his deed would be a misuse of his
powers.
The tempter was repealed by the remem.
brance of Scripture which said, 'Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of Con-
deuteronomy viii. 81. The original refer
ence was to the mama which GoD supplied
the Israelites in the wilderness. GoD would
sustain him who was faithful, was his trust
The true life of man is found in obedience to
COP, in faithfulness to truth and duty. JESUS
is represented as practicing the precept
which he afterward taught: "Seek ye first
the kingdom of GoD and His righteousness
and all these things flood and raiment) shall